MEANS FOR PUTTING ON THERAPEUTIC ELASTIC STOCKINGS

Abstract: A means for putting on therapeutic elastic stockings (A) comprises a wrapping (1) for wrapping the foot. Said wrapping (1) has been provided with relatively slidable inner (2) and outer parts (3) of smooth material and a pulling member (9) adapted to protrude from the stocking (A) and with which both parts (2, 3) may be pulled away from under the stocking in a manner sliding along each other and stripping along the foot. The wrapping (1) is open at the toe end and both parts (2, 3) are interconnected at this toe end, the pulling member (9) being adapted to pull the wrapping (1), preferably on the outer part (3) thereof, away at the leg end.

Description: Means for putting on therapeutic elastic stockings The present invention relates to a means for putting on therapeutic elastic stockings, comprising a wrapping for wrapping the foot, said wrapping being provided with relatively slidable inner and outer parts of smooth material and a pulling member adapted to protrude from the stocking and with which both parts may be pulled away from under the stocking in a manner sliding along each other and stripping along the foot. Pulling on therapeutic elastic stockings is a big problem in practice to the mostly elder patient, since it requires substantial force to stretch it outwardly and to pull it over the foot, also because of the friction between the stocking and the skin. A pull on means of the type mentioned in the preamble which meets this problem is known from European patent application 0 497 858. In this prior art means, the outer part consists of a sock and the inner part being a lining connected to the sock at the leg end and left free at the toe end. The pulling member is connected to the toe end of the sock and the pull on means should be removed through the open toe end of the elastic stocking by means of the pulling member. Hence, this prior art pull on means is only suited for use with an elastic stocking of the so-called open toe type which, however, forms a minority with respect to elastic stockings having a closed toe. The object of the invention is to provide a pull on means of the type mentioned in the preamble which is suited both for stockings having an open toe and for stockings having a closed toe. For this purpose, the means according to the invention is characterized in that the wrapping is open at the toe end and both parts being interconnected at this toe end, the pulling member being adapted to pull the wrapping, preferably on the outer part thereof, away at the leg end. Because the means according to the invention is always pulled out from the leg end of the stocking which is always open, the means is independent from the structure of the elastic stocking at the toe. It is enabled to pull out the means upwardly because the wrapping is open at the toe end and the inner and outer parts are interconnected there so that the inner part may be pulled out in a stripping fashion by the outer part or by the toe end of the inner part. A preferred embodiment of the means according to the invention is characterized in that the wrapping comprises a longitudinal separating seam having a releasable connection for opening and closing the wrapping. This embodiment has the advantage that it is not necessary for the pulling member to strip off the wrapping over the full periphery and it is permitted to attach the pulling member locally to the outer part of the wrapping. If the means is pulled on such that the pulling member extends over the instep, then the wrapping may be pulled out from the stocking in that position since the wrapping can open due to the then released connection and can move to the upper side of the foot. The advantage thereof is that the wrapping does not have to be pulled around the protruding heel allowing the toe end to be made narrower than the thickest part of the foot and less force is required for the pull out action. According to the invention it is favourable if the pulling member extends between both parts of the wrapping and is attached thereto at the toe end. Due to this position of the pulling member, the inner part may be stripped along the skin and the outer part may be stripped along the stocking in order to be removed so that only inside of the double walled wrapping there is a sliding friction which may be kept very low by selection of a material having a very low coefficient of friction with itself. In this embodiment it is favourable if both parts are interconnected at the leg end leaving free an opening for the pulling member, since in this way there is provided a guide for the pulling member. An embodiment of the means according to the invention which is favourable in view of the production technique is characterized in that the inner and outer parts are equal. A further development of the means according to the invention is that in which the connection includes an elongated connecting member being connectable with the opposite longitudinal sides of at least the outer part by means of shape lock elements allowing a longitudinal sliding movement, said connecting member is adapted to be pulled out at the leg end of the wrapping. With such a connecting member, it is easy to open and close the wrapping of the means. Closing the wrapping may be even further facilitated if the elongated connecting member is flattened and is provided on its narrow sides with a longitudinally continuing shape lock adapted to engage around a respective, longitudinal edge embossment of the wrapping. Due to this embodiment of the connecting member and the shape locks, the shape locks of the connecting member only have to be arranged around the respective embossments at the end thereof, whereafter the wrapping is automatically closed by sliding the connecting member relative to the embossments. Of course, the shape locks and embossments may also be exchanged. Furthermore, it is advantageous if the wrapping tapers from the leg end to the toe end. Due to this taper configuration, the inner and outer parts may be interconnected, if desired, at the position of their longitudinal side edges without this hindering the stripping movement of the inner and outer parts. The invention will hereafter be elucidated with reference to the drawing schematically showing an embodiment of the pull on means according to the invention by way of example. Fig. 1 is a front view of a pull on means with open wrapping and separately shown connecting member. Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a connection for a separating seam of the wrapping of the means of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of a foot including the means according to the invention and a therapeutic elastic stocking pulled on over it. Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 3, in which, however, the means is partially pulled away from under the stocking. The drawing and firstly Fig. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the means for pulling on therapeutic elastic stockings, comprising a wrapping 1 for wrapping the toot ot a person for the greater part, said wrapping 1 being shown in Fig. 1 in spread condition. The wrapping 1 consists of an inner part 2 and an outer part 3 which are made of thin, flexible and smooth material, such as nylon fabric having a teflon coating. In this case, the inner and outer parts have an equal shape, are coextensively positioned one of top of the other and are substantially interconnected at the leg and toe ends. To form the inner and outer parts 2, 3 into the wrapping 1, the opposite longitudinal edges of the outer part 3 comprise embossments 4 extending the full length which are formed by a cord 5 or the like which is sewed into the hem of the outer part. A connecting member 7 comprises shape locks 6 having longitudinal slots 6' to engage around the respective embossments 4. The shape locks 6 are formed along the full length of the narrow sides of the flattened elongated connecting member 7. By sliding the embossments 4 of the wrapping 1 into the respective form locks 6 of the connecting member 7, the wrapping 1 may be closed. In order to slide the connecting member in and out it includes a pulling ring 8. The pull on means further comprises a pulling member in the form of a pulling strip 9 arranged between the inner part 2 and the outer part 3 and being connected with its broader end to the narrower toe end of the wrapping 1, for example by stitching. At the broader leg end of the wrapping 1, the pulling strip 9 protrudes outwardly through an opening 10 and at this end the pulling strip may for example comprise a strap 11 (Fig. 3) to allow a proper grip on the pulling strip 9. Because at the leg end of the inner and outer parts 2, 3 only a small opening 10 is left free and the remaining portion of the end is closed, there will be a guide of the pulling strip 9 in the desired direction when the strip is pulled. Fig. 3 and 4 illustrate the use of the pull on means according to the invention. For this purpose, the wrapping 1 is first of all closed by introducing the embossments 4 of the wrapping 1 into their respective shape locks 6 of the connecting member 7. The wrapping 1 may then be pulled on like a sock, wherein the pulling strip 9 is on the instep of the foot and the connecting member 7 is at the sole and heel of the foot. Of course, it would also be possible to give the wrapping 1 another configuration or to pull on the wrapping 1 around the foot in another way so that the pulling strip 9 and connecting member 7 are positioned in another position with respect to the foot. In Fig. 3 it is shown that the inner part 2 and the outer part 3 of the wrapping 1 together form some kind of double walled sock having an open toe, and the pulling strip 9 extends inside this double wall. With the wrapping 1, which is made of smooth material, around the foot it is easy to pull a therapeutic elastic stocking A around the foot since the friction between the outer side of the wrapping 1 and the stocking A is small. The stocking A is pulled on to such extent that at least the strap 11 of the pulling strip 9 still projects above it. In order to remove the means after the stocking A has been pulled on around the foot, the connecting member 7, which may be gripped at a level of the ankle of the foot, is first pulled off from the embossment 4 thereby opening the wrapping 1 in longitudinal direction. Thereafter, as is shown in Fig. 4, one pulls at the pulling strip 9 thereby pulling the front toe end of the inner and outer parts 2 , 3 upwardly within the spacing between the inner and outer parts 2, 3 and as a result the inner part 2 is stripped off the foot and the outer part 3 is stripped off on the inner side of the stocking A. The wrapping 1 is thereby removed within itself so that only internally of the wrapping 1 there is a sliding movement with a very low friction and there is hardly any sliding movement along the stocking and the foot which makes it very easy to pull the wrapping 1 away from below the stocking A. From the foregoing it will be clear that the invention provides a pull on means which is very suited for all types of therapeutic elastic stockings both with a closed and open toe. The means is easy to use and simplifies the pull on operation of the stockings substantially. The invention is not restricted to the embodiment shown in the drawing and described herein before which may be varied in different manners within the scope of the invention. For example, the pulling member may also be attached to the outer side of the outer part of the wrapping and although, when the wrapping is pulled away from below the stocking, the outer part slides along the inner side of the stocking and only the inner part is stripped off along the foot, the smoothness of the material of the wrapping will minimize the friction against the stocking. The means may be delivered in different sizes to adapt it to different foot sizes. Also the connection at the separating seam may have another structure, the connecting member may consist of a flexible threading bar which may be threaded through eyelets in the wrapping on both sides of the separating seam.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Means for putting on therapeutic elastic stockings (A) , comprising a wrapping (1) for wrapping the foot, said wrapping (1) being provided with relatively slidable inner (2) and outer (3) parts of smooth material and a pulling member (9) adapted to protrude from the stocking (A) and with which both parts (2, 3) may be pulled away from under the stocking in a manner sliding along each other and stripping along the foot, characterized in that the wrapping (1) is open at the toe end and both parts (2, 3) being interconnected at this toe end, the pulling member (9) being adapted to pull the wrapping (1) , preferably on the outer part (3) thereof, away at the leg end. 2. Means according to claim 1, wherein the wrapping (1) comprises a longitudinal separating seam having a releasable connection (4-7) for opening and closing the wrapping (1) . 3. Means according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the pulling member (9) extends between both parts (2, 3) of the wrapping (1) and is attached thereto at the toe end. 4. Means according' to claim 3, wherein both parts (2, 3) are interconnected at the leg end leaving free an opening (10) for the pulling member (9) . 5. Means according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner part and the outer part (3) are equal. 6. Means according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connection (4-7) includes an elongated connecting member (7) being connectable with the opposite longitudinal sides of at least the outer part (3) by means of shape lock elements (4) allowing a longitudinal sliding movement, said connecting member (7) is adapted to be pulled out ' at the leg end of the wrapping. 7. Means according to claim 6, wherein the elongated connecting member (7) is flattened and is provided on its narrow sides with a longitudinally continuing shape lock (6) adapted to engage around a respective, longitudinal edge embossment (4) of the wrapping (1) . 8. Means according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the wrapping (1) tapers from the leg end to the toe end.

Inventors: STOLK ROBERT, STOLK, ROBERT
Applicants: STOLK ROBERT, VARITEX NV, N.V. VARITEX, STOLK, ROBERT
Application year: 1994
Main classification: A47G25
IPC codes: A47G25